After posting this I received so many messages, emails and texts from you guys, identifying with how I was feeling. Thank you so much. There’s nothing like putting your heart out for the world to read and having a good response back. So with that, I thought I’d update you all on my summer and the ways I was affirmed that it was God’s plan for me – that trusting His will was worth it.

It was so wonderful to get to spend time on some PPM trips, with my PPM family. It was such a beautiful time in Miami – here’s a ton of photos from my time there!

Cleveland team! (taking Lebron home with them)

Tennessee team (the “farmers” according to our Haitian kids)

Creole bumper campaign sticker

Lunch – Haitian women are the same everywhere. They want to cook and take care of our teams!

organizing with my helper

Robin – this girl has one of the purest hearts

The most amazing staff team! <3

The Freedom Tower in Miami – for you Nicole

Yeah.. selfie.

Talking to Sonson

VBS with William – he’s just one of the kids

Everybody wants a mustard seed! (to promptly try to eat)

World Cup is almost over! Sneaking pictures on my phone

The Champion of Ping-Pong with all the angry defeated challengers

Birthdays!

My friend Stephen!

Our Duluth Team!

Duluth team and Derrick at church

Yes, that’s a projector

Church partnership

Four square is the game

Working hard removing the fence

Jump rope champions

Pastor’s daughter on her birthday

Pastor helping finish up the fence

27 weeks and sitting high for the first time!

Some general highlights from Miami:

multi-cultural dynamics are tricky – on every trip, the students or participants are experiencing at minimum, 4 new cultures – that’s a lot of diversity!

laughing with Liz, a beautiful woman with a beautiful heart for Miami and Haiti

brainstorming and hearing the vision for the future of this city from our USA staff – they are looking to the future with open hands – God, may You come and be the Center!

re-connecting with the ministry after a month and a half of being in the office

simply enjoying the phrase “oh, you need something? we’ll stop by target on the way back” haha! so fun!

understanding the difficulties of planning a trip domestically and how even though we are on USA soil, PPM and our teams are functioning in a cultural vortex of sorts – residents are generally on their own time and inhabiting a unique blend of foreign/usa culture within the Miami way of life.

getting to eat homemade Cuban pastries each week – oh my word.

learning my love for all things Guava – thanks Liz!

getting to spend time with second generation Haitians living in the States and hear about the struggles they face – especially teenagers and the pressure they feel from their roots of Haiti and their new life in America and how hard it is to balance the two.

becoming educated on the plight of the immigrant in the States – learning about the realities of suicide/domestic abuse in immigrant families and the lack of public programs to help foreign immigrants transition into a life here in America.

learning all about pop radio from Liz, Stephen and Robin – and learning that we aren’t fancy at all.

getting to speak with the children at church in English and Creole and not having a language barrier when it came to communicating with the younger kids

seeing the vast difference culture plays in fashion in Miami

getting to see the heart of Christ, displayed in our country and the unity it brought

Thanks again to everyone in PPM Miami and our partners for allowing me to serve with you. <3 <3

Trackbacks & Pings

[…] I could feel His presence, connecting me to His heart. Filling my lungs with praise and my heart with love. It was like Christ was in Evan’s little hands, tracing outlines on my belly, breathing life and promise and hope and beauty into my future, into His Plan for Me. […]